Abstract

This multiple ethnographic case studies aims to investigate the critical literacywhich emerged and emanated in the Chinese classrooms using drama aspedagogy. Drawing on the perspectives of Critical theories, Bakhtin Mikhail'sdialogism, and also the literatures on critical literacy, this study argues that thereis disparity of statuses of languages, knowledges, cultures and peoples within theChinese language classrooms. Considering that indoctrinated teaching, officialChinese language and functional literacy are deeply ingrained within Chineseeducation, this study explore the efficacy of drama to promote pupils' voices andtransform the Chinese language education. Concepts grounded in dialogism suchas habitus, anwerability, voice, carnival were applied to constitute a theoreticalframe for data analysis. Finally, six Chinese classrooms were selected as casesfor in-depth discussion. It was found that there was an absence of dichotomouspractice of critical dialogical literacy when drama was used. Instead, shades ofgrey of criticality and dialogicality were identified within those case studyclassrooms, showing that the dynamic and intricate power relations betweenpupils and teachers, as well as the interplay between the official language, culture,knowledge and habitus and those of the unofficial. The results also revealed thatthe more drama was applied in the classroom, more lively and carnivalesque theclassroom was, and hence a higher degree of criticality and dialogicality. It wasfound that drama allows pupils to participate and create their learning content andenvironment. In addition to the use of drama, the use of space, the classroomorder, the teaching materials, the classroom talk and discussion, the pupils' bodilyresponse all are crucial for giving rise to a dialogic space for drama to take place.All these elements worked as the integral architectonics which affected theemergence and development of pupils' voices.